Local acute inflammatory responses are predominantly beneficial and constitute the body's first line of defense against infection of the host. Conversely, acute systemic inflammation such as in septic shock is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality (58). When chronic, low-grade inflammation persists, it can be at the origin of a several systemic diseases ranging from type II Diabetes Mellitus, arthritis, cancer, a number of neuro-inflammatory conditions and more.
Of all cytokines, receptors and other players thought to contribute to the inflammatory processes, one paradigm that has been largely overlooked is the influence of classical neuronal guidance cues and their receptors. These include semaphorin3A (SEMA3A, e.g., mRNA: NM_006080; and protein: NP_006071 and FIG. 21) and their receptor Neuropilin-1 (NRP1, e.g., mRNA: NM_001024628; and protein: NP_001019799, NM_003873 and FIG. 22 (isoform 2 or b, secreted) and 26 (isoform 1). NRP1 is expressed on both lymphoid and myeloid cells (59, 31). Yet its role in inflammation is largely unknown and especially in the context of cytokine production.
The Semaphorins were initially characterized as key players in axonal guidance during embryogenesis. It is now clear that the role of Semaphorins extends beyond axonal guidance and influence vascular systems, tumor growth and the immune response. The Semaphorin family counts at least 21 vertebrate genes and 8 additional genes in invertebrates. All Semaphorins contain a ˜500 amino acid SEMA domain that is required for signaling. Class 3 Semaphorins (such as SEMA3A) are the only secreted members of the family. SEMA3A is synthesized as a disulphide-linked homodimer and dimerization is essential for signaling.
In neurons, binding of SEMA3A to its cognate receptor Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) provokes cytoskeletal collapse via plexins (60); the transduction mechanism in endothelial cells remains ill-defined. NRP1 has the particular ability to bind two structurally dissimilar ligands via distinct sites on its extracellular domain (27-29). It binds not only SEMA3A (46, 47) provoking cytoskeletal collapse but also VEGF165 (28, 29, 47, 61) enhancing binding to VEGFR2 and thus increasing its angiogenic potential (62). Crystallographic evidence revealed that VEGF165 and SEMA3A do not directly compete for NRP1 but rather can simultaneously bind to NRP1 at distinct, non-overlapping sites (63). Moreover, genetic studies show that NRP1 distinctly regulates the effects of VEGF and SEMA3A on neuronal and vascular development (64). Finally, NRP1 has also been found to bind to TGF-β1 and to regulate its latent form.
NRP1 is a single-pass transmembrane receptor with a large 860 amino acid extracellular domain subdivided into 3 sub-domains (a1a2, b1b2 and c) and a short 40 amino acid intracellular domain (65). In neurons, binding of SEMA3A to NRP1 recruits Plexins, which transduce their intracellular signal (60) and provoke cytoskeletal collapse. The transduction mechanism in endothelial cells remains ill-defined. NRP1 binds SEMA3A (46, 47) primarily via its a1a2 (but possibly also b1-) domain (provoking cytoskeletal collapse) and VEGF165 (28, 29, 47, 61) via its b1b2 domain (enhancing binding to VEGFR2 and thus increasing its angiogenic potential (62). The elevated levels of SEMA3A in the ischemic retina may thus partake in forcing neovessels into the vitreous by collapsing and deviating the advancing tip cells away from the source of the repellent cue (21).
The CNS had long been considered an immune-privileged system, yet it is now clear that the brain, retina and spinal cord are subjected to complex immune-surveillance (1, 2). Immunological activity in the CNS is largely dependent on an innate immune response and is present in health and heightened in diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease. This is apparent in the retina where an intensified, largely microglial/macrophage-based immune response is associated with the progression of several sight threatening diseases such as diabetic retinopathy (DR)(3-5), age related macular degeneration (AMD)(6-8) and retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)(9, 10). Together, these retinal diseases account for the principal causes of loss of sight in industrialized countries (6, 11, 12).
Many of the current line of treatments of inflammatory diseases and conditions suffer from important side-effects and deficient long-term safety profiles. Accordingly, there remains a need for novel pharmaceutical targets and methods of treatments.
The present description refers to a number of documents, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in their entirety.